Eranga has been sidelined since January 2015
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
Sri Lanka pace bowler Shaminda Eranga’s comeback to international cricket has been postponed yet again after he was ruled out of the upcoming Test series against the West Indies due to a groin injury.
Eranga has been out of action since January 2015 and missed the home series against Pakistan in August due to a back problem. His latest injury setback occurred while he was undergoing a rehabilitation programme.
“Eranga unfortunately has been really struggling to recover from a few of his injuries,” chief selector Kapila Wijegunawardene told reporters. “He started off with a back injury in December, and when he was recovering from that towards June-July he developed a groin injury, and since then every time he was rehabilitated and tried to get into the normal routine of bowling he had tightness in his hamstring.
“The physio Steve Mount is now really looking at taking him to a more medical solution. Eranga is likely to be ruled out for the upcoming West Indies series. The latest injury is he’s developed a groin injury.
“Every time he recovers he develops a new injury which is worrying us a little bit. When you are recovering from an injury your natural tendency is to protect that injury and invariably you end up putting strain on another part and you tend to tear that. That is what is happening. This is about the third time that he is experiencing a recurring injury.”
Wijegunawardene admitted that the workload for bowlers has increased significantly over the past few years, but pointed out that “understanding your body” is crucial to ensuring that injuries don’t occur on a regular basis.
“It’s about understanding your body, understanding which areas you need to strengthen,” he said. “Today the workloads are far more than what a fast bowler had to endure a few years ago.
“It’s all to do with how disciplined you are on the physical fitness side and understanding which parts of your body need to be focused on. These boys really need to be professional and focused, and care for their own well being over and above the routine that you do in a team environment. These boys need to be looking at themselves individually also.”
Apart from Eranga, Wijegunawardene confirmed that all the other pace bowlers are available for selection.
“They are all looking lean and mean and ready to go,” he said. “They do understand there is competition now and there are a few young boys yapping at their heels.”